Tuesday, 22 June 2010

It's perhaps the fact that Dark Sky are a collective of three separate producers (two of whom make up London's Boogaloo Crew) which makes their productions so varied. Their debut release of 'Ghost Notes' and 'Something To Lose' on Black Acre Records displayed incredible production talent in building both 8-bit dubstep and euphoric breakbeat, and the forthcoming digital 'Frames EP' on Pictures Music (release date is set for July 12th) is no less varied: swinging from future garage, to 2-step, to grime-flecked UK funky.

'Night Light' features on this EP and begins with barely-there atmospheric samples, before crashing in with a scale-ascending bassline and gunshot snares fired out in tight pairs. The control of the track's movements is what is most striking here, as jumps are made from that initial heavy drop, down to a solo synth and quarter-time beat without unsettling the flow of the tune.

Monday, 21 June 2010

With his sophomore album 'Outside The Box' due out later this year, as well as an album alongside Benga and Artwork under the Magnetic Man moniker on the horizon, it seems unfair to expect much more of Skream. Yet due to the popularity of the Skreamizm series which followed his debut album from 2006 there is still a rising anticipation for the sixth installment of the run of EPs. With talk, also, of a Skream remixes EP (featuring remixes of his tunes by other artists, such as Silkie's 'Filth' remix) it seems the man causing all the hype has stepped up to the unwritten challenge in releasing the first installment of the punning 'Freeizm' series. The Free-P features a healthy mixture of sounds, with the mellow, spacious 'Minimooool' alongside the tripped-out 'Cut Like A Buffalo' remix, dirty tearout tune 'Pitfall' and old school garage stepper 'Show Me Love' and is definitely worth grabbing before the next two in the series are released in the run up to the highly anticipated album.

Friday, 18 June 2010

Breakage has added his touch to a few tunes over the last year, but this is one of the first which really cuts it and shows off his impressive talent as a producer. The intro is a haunting affair with dampened crackles and chords lying deep beneath Plan B's stripped back, soulful vocals before Breakage's characteristic, toe-shaking sub-bass kicks in to drive the track forward. Scattered beats are built upon each other, with slight alterations being added in each coming sequence, and the vocal continues to drift in and echo out throughout. And for free: definitely worth a listen at the very least.

Having introduced Damu last month (read the full interview and download his exclusive mix for us here) the young producer's been very busy. Coupling an intense work rate (he seems to have a new tune finished every week) with high levels of natural talent and the all important perfectionist streak common to the best artists about, he's certainly one to be keeping a very close eye on.

The latest tunes to be aired are in keeping with Damu's eclectic style as 'Mermaid' works as a development of the synth-laden summer vibes of tunes such as '2010' (forthcoming on Swing & Skip audio), whereas 'Gargoyle' and 'Sashima' move away from this style in opposite directions with the former setting cascades of jilting 8-bit sounds over a rolling bassline and the providing the listener with far less direction in terms of an obvious rhythm, yet still managing to hold the ear throughout.

And despite these new additions to his portfolio, he's still found time to put together the 'Silverback Mix' for the guys over at Voltron.

Whilst this is a relatively late recommendation (release date was June 14th) it's one we feel strongly about. The result of a two week collaboration between Machinedrum and Praveen, 'Love Pressure', a four-track EP, combines dubbed-out atmospherics, organic 2-step beats and warm synth thrusts perfect for the early morning dance-floor or late afternoon sun. Title track 'Love Pressure' is an emotional fuzzy swell of a tune with euphoric female vocals and warm motoring synths , whilst 'Down' brings rich, lush textures coupled with end-of-the-night ambience. The submerged, Mount Kimbie-esque 'Every Day Of My Life' and deep mood of 'The Warning' finish off an EP we cannot recommend highly enough; if you're a fan of the likes of Joy Orbison, Scuba, Mount Kimbie, James Blake, Pangaea, Blue Daisy or Ramadanman this is a must!

We're big fans of Deadboy here at HEDMUK, so are pretty excited to be able to put up his remix of 'Spanish Sahara' by Foals for free download. Clocking in at an epic nine minutes long, the track builds from sparse beginnings in an intricately controlled manner as new parts are brought into the mix and others threaded out before a short burst of pure 4x4 euphoria brings the tune to an end.

A perfect tune for the summer this one, as the deep Drum & Bass and Dubstep producer from Cardiff adds a soulful touch with a lilting male vocal over interweaving synth lines. It's already been quite a year for 19 year old Lung. as he is now looking to follow on from the widespread recognition received for the atmospheric roller, 'Afterlife' (which also featured on the second volume of This Is Dubstep). 'Sail' has a similar energy to the above-mentioned track but the drums pack more swing and resultantly carry the tune with a dreamy haze perfectly suited to heatwave weather.

Thursday, 10 June 2010

Yet another slice of freeness from Artwork, Skream & Benga, the men behind dubstep's most hyped live project: Magnetic Man.

Coming in with a Silkie-esque purple intro, before dropping into a pared back drum arrangement backed by a wall of sound and ascending synth melody. The track builds and builds and certainly does well to whet appetites for what the recently revamped Magnetic Man live show has to offer.

Wednesday, 9 June 2010

Innovative producer, DJ, Hyperdub boss and sub-bass theorist: Kode9 is a man who needs little introduction. Leading up to his forthcoming contribution to the DJ Kicks series, he's laid down a mix of old school Jungle for another well-respected mix series over at FACT Magazine. As should be expected, the mixing is tight and the tune selection is absolutely on point:

Wednesday, 2 June 2010

The latest to drop in Dummy Magazine's mix series is a real treat for all those anticipating a summer of UK Garage vibes. Pleasing one and all simultaneously, Pariah's mix moves through all aspects of the sound: moving from melodic steppers with cute female vocals, to straight-up four-to-the-floor dancefloor numbers and rounding off with some deeper, darker rumblings. With a 12" out on R&S Records already, and a double-pack in the pipeline, as well as a host of bookings playing out alongside the likes of El-B and DJ Madd the future is looking bright for the young man.

Tuesday, 1 June 2010

The scene exploring areas between dubstep, techno, house and minimal has produced tunes of real depth, variety, swing and bass; take Appleblim and Ramadanman's 'Justify' , for example, or Jus Wan's 'Action Potential'. Arkist is among the producers, which also include 2562, Al Tourettes and Martyn, pushing this sound forward; but where his music differs is in the seamless integration of his 2-step and Drum & Bass (the Autonomic influence is clear) influences into his music: making it distinct, organic and refreshingly defiant of boundaries. With an upcoming US tour alongside fellow Bristol producer Wedge and a release on Deca Rhythm coming in August, Arkist has found the time to answer a few questions and lay down a mix showcasing his own production and that of producers on a similar vibe.

HEDMUK: Firstly, what's your name, where do you hail from and how would you describe your sound?

Arkist: Hi, my name is Adam, I live in Bristol, UK and I produce bass-driven electronica with influences from across the musical spectrum.

H: Would you say you were from a particularly musical background, or was it something you found yourself drawn to naturally?

A: I'd have to say that I'm not. My dad was a trader in the city and my mum was a podiatrist so there wasn't a lot of musical influence coming from my parents. I think most of my early inspiration came from my friends and their siblings and their friends and so on.

H: The quality of your production is excellent: when did you start to make your own music and what were your early influences?

A: Thank you. I first started making music when I bought my first guitar when I was 10 years old. I was really into bands like Nirvana, Offspring and the Chili Peppers but I was much too young for gigs and clubnights so it was really just my guitar, a few CDs and a few good role models who were my early influences.

In terms of producing finished tracks, I didn't start making music until I was about 15. I became very interested in Drum & Bass and I think the idea of having total control of my output, something that is rarely possible with bands, was very appealing to me so I started trying to make D&B.

H: Would you say you still bear these early influences strongly, or has your musical taste, influences and the direction of your music changed as you've developed as a producer?

A: Both! I Still enjoy listening to those bands and I still love Drum & Bass but there have definitely been changes as I have learned to appreciate other genres of music such as House, Techno and Electro, and that has really rubbed off in the studio.

H: What do you think of music right now? Does new music inspire you, and if so, what scenes or particular producers make you want to produce the music you do?

A: I think its great, there are lots of very talented old and new producers that are still managing to do something different and I find it inspirational and very motivating. The people that are doing it for me right now, I'd have to say, are James Blake, SBTRKT, Scuba, Al Tourettes, the whole Autonomic Crew, June Miller and so on.

H: Your tunes seem to fit really well with much of the Applepips catalogue, how did you come to be involved with the label?

A: Appleblim and I became good friends when I first moved to Bristol in 2008 and I found him and the label both very interesting. I especially respected how he was doing something different to what a lot of other labels were doing; so I did a little bit of experimentation in the lab, made a few tunes and Laurie liked them.

H: Bristol is a city with a rich bass music culture; with so many innovative producers based there, what does being part of the city's scene mean to you?

H: Bristol is a wonderful city to live and produce in, I think I owe a lot to its culture and the amazing artists that reside here. There is no way I would be where I am now without people like Komonazmuk, Gatekeeper and Wedge who have been extremely supportive technically and stylistically.

H: There is little information about you available and you often use a cartoonesque image instead of a picture of yourself, is anonymity important to you as a producer?

A: Anonymity is not massively important to me, I think the reason I leave a lot of information out of websites and such is purely because I want the music to do the talking, and as a listener I really couldn't care what star sign and favourite meal an artist that I'm listening to has. As for the 'cartoonesque' image, I use that just because I think all the photographs I have of myself are rubbish!

H: What can we expect from you in the future? Any releases forthcoming or big projects in the pipe-line?

A: I have a few releases lined up for this year. One on Applepips, Deca Rhythm Records (which is a great new label) and Immerse Records. I'm currently talking to DJ Wedge about an ISP( If Symptoms Persist) release as well.